Vacuum cleaner with cyclonic dirt separation and pet hair remover

ABSTRACT

A vacuum cleaner with a cyclone module assembly comprises a cyclone separation chamber for separating dust and debris from air, a dirt cup for collecting dust and debris that is separated from the air in the cyclone separation chamber, wherein the separation chamber further includes an exhaust grill with apertures formed at an acute angle relative to the working air flow. In an alternate embodiment, the vacuum cleaner further includes a hair collection assembly that can be latched in one of the engaged and disengaged positions. In yet another embodiment, the dirt cup is sealingly biased to the cyclone separation chamber by a cam or a coil spring.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/036,701, filed Mar. 14, 2008, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to suction cleaners. In one of its aspects, theinvention relates to a suction cleaner having cyclonic dirt separation.In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a cyclone separatorwith an improved exhaust grill. In another of its aspects, the inventionrelates to a vacuum cleaner with a moveable pet hair removal device thatis selectively retained in contact with a surface to be cleaned. Instill another of its aspects, the invention relates to a dirt cuplatching mechanism.

2. Description of the Related Art

Upright vacuum cleaners employing cyclone separators are well known.Many conventional cyclone separators use frusto-conical shape separatorsor high-speed rotational motion of the air/dirt to separate the dirt bycentrifugal force. Typically, working air enters and exits at an upperportion of the cyclone separator while the bottom portion of the cycloneseparator is used to collect debris. In an effort to reduce weight, themotor/fan assembly that creates the working air flow is typically placedat the bottom of the handle, below the cyclone separator.

BISSELL Homecare, Inc. presently manufactures and sells in the UnitedStates an upright vacuum cleaner that has a cyclone separator and a dirtcup. A horizontal plate separates the cyclone separator from the dirtcup. The air flowing through the cyclone separator passes through anannular cylindrical cage with baffles and through a cylindrical filterbefore exiting the cyclone separator at the upper end thereof. The dirtcup and the cyclone separator are disclosed in more detail in U.S. Pat.No. 6,810,557, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,772 to Dyson discloses an upright vacuum cleaneremploying a two stage cyclone separator. The first stage is a singleseparator having an outlet in series with an inlet to a second stagefrusto-conical separator.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0130441 to Oh discloses anexhaust grill for a cyclone separator. Air passages in the grill have aleading surface facing toward the direction of air flow around thegrill. It is taught that the direct flow of air into the grill preventsstagnant vortices from forming in the grill air passages, thuspreventing debris build-up.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0143954 to Graham disclosesa hair collection assembly mounted to the cleaning head of a vacuumcleaner for movement between a use position in which the hair collectionelement is in contact with the surface to be cleaned and a secondposition in which the hair collection element is spaced from thesurface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vacuum cleaner according to the invention comprises a cleaning headassembly having a suction nozzle adapted to be moved along a surface tobe cleaned, a hair collection assembly having a hair collection elementadapted to collect hair from the surface to be cleaned, wherein the haircollection assembly is mounted to the cleaning head for movement of thehair collection element between a first position in which the haircollection element is in contact with the surface to be cleaned, and asecond position, in which the hair collection element is spaced from thesurface to be cleaned, and a latch assembly to selective retain the haircollection assembly on the surface to be cleaned.

In one embodiment, the latch assembly further comprises a latch portionas a part of one of the cleaning head assembly and the hair collectionassembly and a catch portion as a part of the other of the cleaning headassembly and the hair collection assembly.

In another embodiment, the catch portion is made of a resilientmaterial. The latch portion can include a disengaging member that isadapted to selectively deform the catch portion to release the latchassembly when the disengaging member is actuated by a user.

In another embodiment, a spring biasing member biases the haircollection assembly to the second position to move the hair collectionassembly from the first position to the second position when the catchportion is released from the latch portion.

In another embodiment, a vacuum cleaner according to the inventioncomprises an exhaust grill in the cyclone separation chamber to filterout larger debris, the exhaust grill comprising a plurality of apertureswhereby a leading edge of the aperture forms an acute angle relative tothe flow of working air.

Further according to the invention, a vacuum cleaner comprises acleaning head assembly having a suction nozzle, a housing coupled to thecleaning head assembly, a suction source mounted in the housing forcreating a flow of working air and a cyclone module assembly mounted inthe housing in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and thesuction source. The cyclone module assembly comprises a cycloneseparation chamber for separating dust and debris from air, the cycloneseparation chamber having an inlet opening in fluid communication withthe suction nozzle through the working air path, an outlet opening fordischarging cleaned air and a particle discharge outlet for dischargingdust and debris separated from air and a dirt cup removably mounted tothe cyclone separation chamber in fluid communication with the particledischarge outlet for collecting dust and debris that is separated fromthe air in the cyclone separation chamber. A dirt cup latch is mountedbetween the housing and the dirt cup to selectively bias the dirt cupinto sealing engagement with the cyclone separation chamber.

In one embodiment, the dirt cup latch comprises a grip and a cam wherebythe dirt cup is biased into sealing engagement with the cycloneseparation chamber when the grip is placed in an upwardly verticalposition and the dirt cup is disengaged from sealing engagement forremoval from the cyclone separation chamber when the grip is placed in adownwardly vertical position.

In another embodiment, the dirt cup latch comprises a resilient biasingmember. In a preferred embodiment, the biasing member is a compressioncoil spring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an upright vacuum cleaner with a cyclonemodule assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded right quarter perspective view of the cyclonemodule assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cyclone module assembly takenthrough line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cyclone module taken throughline 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the vacuumcleaner of FIG. 1 taken through line 5-5 of FIG. 1 and illustrating alatch in an engaged position.

FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of the circled portion of FIG. 5 identifiedas FIG. 5A showing the latch in a disengaged position.

FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of the base of the vacuum cleaner ofFIG. 1 with a portion of the latch exploded from a latch support of thelatch mechanism of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6B is a right side rear perspective view of a portion of the baseof the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 with a portion of the portion of thelatch exploded from the latch support as in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C is a perspective view similar to FIG. 6B with the latch portionassembled to the latch support.

FIG. 6D is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the base of thevacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 showing the latch support without the latchportion therein.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the disassembledswing arm, hinge cap, and torsion spring of the foot assembly of thevacuum cleaner of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a dirt cup latchaccording to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a dirt cup latchaccording to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, an upright vacuumcleaner 10 according to the invention comprises an upright handleassembly 12 pivotally mounted to a conventional foot assembly 14. Thehandle assembly 12 comprises a primary support section 16 with a grip 18on one end to facilitate movement by the user. A motor cavity 20 isformed at an opposite end of the handle assembly 12 and contains aconventional fan/motor assembly (not shown) oriented transverselytherein. The handle assembly 12 pivots relative to the foot assembly 14through an axis formed relative to a shaft within the fan/motorassembly. A cyclone recess 24 provided by the primary support section 16is configured to removably receive a cyclone module assembly 26 and dirtcup assembly 60.

The foot assembly 14 comprises a lower housing 28 that mates with anupper housing 30 to form a brush chamber 32 in a forward portionthereon. A rotating brush roll assembly 34 is positioned within thebrush chamber 32. A pair of rear wheels 36 is secured to a rearwardportion of the foot assembly 14, rearward being defined relative to thebrush chamber 32. It is contemplated that a variety of foot assemblies14 can be interchanged with the handle assembly 12 and other possiblefoot assembly configurations can be utilized.

A suction nozzle 38 (FIG. 5) is formed at a lower surface of the brushchamber 32 on the foot assembly 14 and is in fluid communication withthe surface to be cleaned. An air conduit (not shown) provides an airpath from the suction nozzle 38 through the foot assembly 14 and to theinlet aperture of the fan/motor assembly. A pet hair removal device 300is included at a forward portion of the foot assembly.

The cyclone module assembly 26 separates and collects debris from aworking air stream. After each cleaning operation is complete, or aftera number of cleaning operations have been completed, the debris can bedisposed of. As shown herein, the vacuum cleaner 10 is provided with atwo stage cyclone module assembly 26, although other cyclone moduleassemblies and other possible cyclone module configurations arecontemplated.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the cyclone module assembly 26 comprises acyclone separation housing 58 forming a second stage or second cyclone62 that is substantially surrounded by a first stage or first cyclone64. The cyclone separation housing 58 comprises a first stage cyclonehousing 70, first stage cyclone inlet 66, and a second stage cycloneoutlet 68, which can be integrally molded. As illustrated, the firststage cyclone housing 70 is generally cylindrical and hollow in shapewith a substantially closed top and an open bottom. Alternatively, thecyclone housing 70 can be tapered or formed having an invertedfrusto-conical shape depending upon manufacturing and aesthetic desires.The first stage cyclone inlet 66 comprises a generally cylindricalhollow conduit and can be formed integrally with the cyclone housing 70at an upper portion thereof. In operation, first stage the cyclone inlet66 is in fluid communication with the first cyclone. As illustrated, thesecond stage cyclone outlet 68 comprises a generally rectangular andhollow conduit formed integrally with the cyclone housing 70 at an upperportion thereof. Alternatively, the second stage cyclone outlet 68 canhave any shape suitable for the purposes described herein, such as atubular shape. In operation, the second stage cyclone outlet 68 is influid communication with the second cyclone.

The cyclone module assembly 26 further comprises an upstream separator84, a downstream separator 86, and a separator plate 88 that togetherform a cyclone separator 90. The upstream separator 84, downstreamseparator 86, and separator plate 88 can be integrally molded of amaterial suitable for the purposes described herein, such as plastic.Alternatively, the different parts of the cyclone separator 90 can beformed separately and attached to one another in any suitable manner,such as by gluing or welding.

The upstream separator 84 comprises two half-cylindrical members 85positioned opposite each other and connected by an upstream flange 92that depends horizontally outward from the uppermost edges of thecylindrical members 85. The half-cylindrical members 85 are equal insize and have open tops and bottoms. The half-cylindrical members 85 arepositioned as if a cylinder was cut in half and one of the halves wasmoved slightly to one side relative to the other. This displacementcreates two spaces between the ends of the half-cylindrical members 85that form two second stage inlets 94 on radially opposite sides of theupstream separator 84.

The downstream separator 86 comprises a generally frusto-conical andhollow member 87 having an open bottom and top. The downstream separator86 further comprises a downstream flange 96 depending generallyhorizontally outward from an uppermost edge of the frusto-conical member87.

The separator plate 88 comprises a relatively thin, disc-like member 89having a central opening sized to align with the bottom opening of thefrusto-conical member 87. The disc-like member 89 is configured to fitcoaxially within the cyclone housing 70. The disc-like member 89 issized such that when assembled within the cyclone housing 70, a spaceexists radially between the circumference of the disc-like member 89 andthe cyclone housing 70. The separator plate 88 further comprises a lip98 and a gasket-receiving member 99. The lip 98 comprises a thin wallpositioned slightly below and vertically aligned with the centralopening of the disc-like member 89. The lip 98 can have a substantiallycircular shape sized similarly to the central opening but having aslightly smaller area than the central opening such that debris and aircan flow through the central opening and around the lip 98. Thegasket-receiving member 99 is spaced from and surrounds a circumferenceof the lip 98 and is configured to receive a conventional gasket 100.

The cyclone separator 90 is formed such that the upstream separator 84is coaxially aligned with the downstream separator 86. The cylindricalmember 85 of the upstream separator 84 sits atop the downstream flange96 such that the majority of the bottom opening of the cylindricalmember 85 is in fluid communication with the top opening of thefrusto-conical member 87. The separator plate 88 is aligned coaxiallywith the upstream separator 84 and downstream separator 86 such that afirst stage debris outlet 102 is formed by the space existing betweenthe circumference of the disc-like member 89 of the separator plate 88and the cyclone housing 70. The central opening of the disc-like member89 is also in fluid communication with the bottom opening of thefrusto-conical member 87 such that the lip 98, gasket-receiving member99, and gasket 100 together form a second stage debris outlet 104enabling the passage therethrough of debris and air from the downstreamseparator 84 via the bottom opening of the frusto-conical member 87. Thedebris outlet 104 also functions as a vortex stabilizer.

The cyclone module assembly 26 further comprises a perforated grill 110.The perforated grill 110 comprises an inner grill cylinder 112, an outergrill cylinder 114, and an upper wall 116 integrally formed with andconnecting the top edges of the grill cylinders 112, 114. The inner andouter grill cylinders 112, 114 are concentric and have open bottoms. Theouter grill cylinder 114 comprises a plurality of apertures 120 enablingthe passage of air an debris therethrough. The apertures 120 are formedat an acute angle relative to the direction of flow of working air at anouter surface of the outer grill cylinder 114 during operation of thevacuum. The apertures 120 can be formed by injection molding using atool with a plurality of slides and/or lifters having varying die-drawangles with respect to the vertical axes of the part. Each slide and/orlifter comprises a plurality of pins, that, when pulled during theejection process, form the apertures 120 at varying angles with respectto the outer grill cylinder 114. The angular relationship between thelongitudinal axis of the apertures 120 and the outer grill cylinder 114preferably ranges from 10 degrees to 60 degrees.

When assembled, the upper wall 116 sits atop the upstream flange 92, andthe outer grill cylinder 112 is configured and sized for placementaround the upstream separator 84 such that the bottom edge of the outergrill cylinder 112 sits atop the downstream flange 96. The inner grillcylinder 114 is configured and size for placement within the upstreamseparator 84 such that a bottom opening of the inner grill cylinder 114is in fluid communication with the top opening of the downstreamseparator 86.

The dirt cup assembly 60 is positioned adjacent the cyclone separationhousing 58 and is selectively sealingly mated to the cyclone housing 70via a sealing lip 150 formed around the bottom edge of the cyclonehousing 70 and a sealing ring 152. The sealing lip 150 is configured toreceive the sealing ring 152 as well as an upper edge 154 of a dirt cuphousing 160. The dirt cup housing 160 comprises an inner collectioncylinder 162 and an outer collection cylinder 164. The collectioncylinders 162, 164 are concentric and substantially hollow. Bothcollection cylinders 162, 164 are open at their top ends but closed attheir bottom ends. The inner collection cylinder 162 has a radiusslightly smaller than that of the gasket 100 and also smaller than theouter collection cylinder 164. The dirt cup housing 160 can include anynumber of additional features within one or both of the collectioncylinders 162, 164.

When the cyclone module assembly 26 is assembled with the dirt cupassembly 60, a first stage collection area 166 is formed by the spacebetween the outer circumference of the inner collection cylinder 162 andthe dirt cup housing 160. A second stage collection area 168, which issealed off from the first stage collection area 166, is formed withinthe inner collection cylinder 162. The first stage collection area 166is in fluid communication with the first stage cyclone 64, and debriscan fall into the first stage collection area 166 from the first stagecyclone 64 via the first stage debris outlet 102. The separation plate88 serves to reduce re-entrainment of debris collected in the firststage collection area 166 into the first stage cyclone 64. The secondstage collection area 168 is in fluid communication with the secondstage cyclone 62 via the second stage debris outlet 104 to receivedebris therethrough.

As indicated by the arrows shown in FIG. 3, in operation, the fan/motorassembly is positioned downstream of the second stage cyclone outlet 68.The fan/motor assembly draws air from the first stage cyclone inlet 66into the cyclone housing 70, causing the air to swirl around the innerwall of the cyclone housing 70 and the downstream separator 86 to formthe first cyclone 64. The separation of larger debris occurs in thefirst cyclone 64 with the larger debris falling into the first stagecollection area 166 of the dirt cup assembly 60 via the first stagedebris outlet 102.

Referring also to FIG. 4, the air then travels passes through theperforated grill 110 and enters the cyclone separator 90 via the secondstage inlets 94 of the upstream separator 84. The apertures 120 in theperforated grill 110 are formed at an acute angle relative to theworking air flow, shown by the arrows labeled A, at the outer surface ofthe outer grill cylinder 114. In order for the air to pass through theapertures 120 in the perforated grill 110, the working air flow mustchange direction and reverse back as shown by the arrows labeled B. Thechange in the direction of working air flow propels debris out of theworking air flow, which minimizes the debris passing through theapertures 120 and significantly reduces potential clogging.

Once through the perforated grill 110, the working air flows through thesecond stage inlets 94. The second stage inlets 94 direct the airtangentially and downwardly along an inside surface of the downstreamseparator 86. The airflow turns near the second stage debris outlet 104and proceeds directly upward to the second stage outlet 68. The dirtremoved by the frusto-conical downstream separator 86 falls into thesecond stage collection area 168.

The dirt cup assembly 60 can be detached from the cyclone housing 70 toprovide a clear, unobstructed path for the debris captured in both thefirst stage collection area 166 and the second stage collection area 168to be removed. Removal can be accomplished by inverting the dirt cupassembly 60.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5 and 7, a pet hair removal device 300 is attachedto a forward portion of the foot assembly 14. A pair of opposed hingecaps 302 are fixedly attached to an outer surface of the brush chamber32. A pair of opposed swing arms 304 rotate within each hinge cap 302. Apair of torsion springs 301 (FIG. 7) are positioned between the hingecaps 302 and the swing arms 304 to bias the pet hair removal device 300in an upward position above the brush chamber 32 and away from thesurface to be cleaned. Each of the torsion springs 301 can be receivedin a recess 303A in each swing arm 304. The recess 303A is configured toreceive a coil 305A of the spring 301. A hook end 305B of the torsionsspring 301 is retained by a flange 303B on the swing arm 304. Each ofthe hinge caps 302 includes a spool 311 that mounts the spring coil 305Aand a securing recess 309 for receiving a second end 305C of each of thetorsion springs 301. The spool 311 and spring 301 are received in therecess 303A.

A pet brush cover 306 is fixed to an end of the swing arms 304 oppositethe hinge caps 302. A pet hair remover 308 is attached to a lowerportion of the pet brush cover 306 and comprises one of a number ofcommonly known hair removal materials. A pet brush bumper 310 comprisinga relatively soft and/or resilient material can be affixed to a forwardsurface of the pet brush cover 306 to prevent damage to furnishings asis commonly known in the vacuum cleaner art. A more detailed descriptionof a suitable pet hair removal device is found in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2007/0143954 to Graham et al., which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As shown in FIGS. 5-6D, a latch mechanism 400 selectively secures thepet hair removal device 300 in an in-use position. The latch mechanism400 comprises a latch portion 402 attached to or formed by the footassembly 14 upper cover 30 and a catch portion 404 attached to or formedwith the pet hair removal device 300. The latch portion 402 furthercomprises a latch button 406 that slides vertically within a channelthat is formed in a corresponding latch support 408 that is formed by orattached to the upper cover 30. A latch plate 409 is mounted to theinside of the channel formed by the latch support 408 and has a catchingsurface 418 and a chamfered surface 420 at a lower portion thereof. Anactuation surface 410 is formed on an upper surface of the latch button406. The latch portion 402 is mounted to the latch support 408 through apair of resilient fingers 422 that are slidably received in a slot 415at a bottom of the latch support 408 as seen in FIG. 6D. The resilientfingers 422 have outwardly directed barbs on an outer end thereof forretaining the resilient fingers 422 in the slot 415 after the fingershave been mounted in the slot. The resilient fingers flex inwardly asthe fingers are pushed into the slot 415 as the sides of the slot pushagainst the barbs. The latch portion 402 further comprises a pluralityof resilient latch fingers 424 that are positioned between the resilientfingers 422 and slide within the slot 415. Each of the latch fingers 424has a disengaging portion 412 is formed on an opposite, lower surface.The disengaging surface 412 is preferably chamfered or angled relativeto a vertical axis.

A pair of biasing members 405 in the form of resilient spring arms areintegrally formed on a rear support of the latch portion 402 below thelatch button 406. The biasing members 405 are cantilevered from thesupport and extend laterally outwardly and upwardly to rest on twosupport posts 407 that are formed on the latch support 408. The supportposts 407 are spaced apart and extend upwardly from opposite sides ofthe latch support 408. When the latch portion 402 is assembled to thelatch support 408, the biasing members 405 each press against acorresponding support post 407, which forces the latch portion 402towards an uppermost position relative to the latch support 408. At thesame time, the lower portion of the latch portion 402, including thedisengaging surface 412, extends downward through an slot 415 at abottom of the latch support 408.

The catch portion 404 is made of a resilient material and is fixed tothe pet hair removal device 300 at one end by commonly know fasteningmechanisms 413, such as screws, rivets, adhesives, ultrasonic welding,or the like. An end of the catch portion 404 opposite the fixed endcomprises a releasing surface 414 that is chamfered or angled to matewith the disengaging portion 412 chamfered surface. A catch surface 416is formed contiguous with the releasing surface 414. The latch support408 further comprises a catching surface 418 and a chamfered surface 420that corresponds to the releasing surface 414 of the catch portion 404.

In operation, the latch portion 402 is biased in the upward direction bythe interaction between the biasing members 405 and the support posts407. There is no force present between the disengaging portion 412 ofthe latch mechanism 400 and the releasing surface 414 of the catchportion 404. The pet hair removal device 300 maintains its position dueto the interference of the catching surface 418 with the catch surface416. This interference is created by the upward bias of the resilientcatch portion 404.

To release the pet hair removal device 300, downward pressure is appliedto the actuation surface 410, forcing the latch portion 402 down overthe support posts 407 by overcoming the force provided by the biasingmembers 405 and moving the disengaging portion 412 into contact with thereleasing surface 414. As the latch portion 402 moves further, the catchsurface 416 deflects downwardly and moves below the chamfered surface420 allowing the catch surface 416 to clear the catching surface 418.The torsion springs in the hinge caps 302 bias the pet hair removaldevice 300 to a position above the foot 14 and away from the surface tobe cleaned.

To place the pet hair removal device 300 back into the in-use position,the user grasps the pet brush cover 306 and rotates the device about thehinge caps 302 until the releasing surface 414 contacts the chamferedsurface 420. The catch portion 404 deflects in a downward direction, andthe releasing surface 414 slides past the chamfered surface 420. Thecatch portion 404 returns to is normal or straight position, and thecatch surface 416 interfaces with the catching surface 418 to lock thepet hair removal device 300 into the in-use position.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 8, the vacuum cleaner 10 further includes adirt cup latch assembly 500 for use in mounting the dirt cup assembly 60in the recess 24 and to the cyclone module assembly 26. In theillustrated embodiment, the cyclone module assembly 26 is mounted to thehandle 12. However, it is possible in other embodiments that the cyclonemodule assembly 26 is removably mounted within the recess 24 and can beattached to the dirt cup assembly 60, which can in turn be used to mountboth itself and the attached cyclone module assembly 26 to the vacuumcleaner 10. The dirt cup latch assembly 500 comprises a latch assembly502 and a support platform 504. The latch assembly 502 comprises a pivotbearing 506 in spaced relation to a cam surface 508. The pivot bearing506 is secured to a pivot support 509 that is anchored to a floor of therecess 24. A lever 510 extends away from the pivot bearing 506 towardthe forward portion of the handle 12 and is accessible to the user via agrip 512. The cam surface 508 contacts a lower surface 516 of thesupport platform 504 while a lower portion of the dirt cup housing 160removably contacts an upper surface 518 of the support platform 514

In operation, the lever 510 is placed in its lowermost position (shownin dotted lines), moving the support platform 504 down and thus creatingthe maximum space between the upper surface 518 of the support platform504 and the lip 150 on the cyclone separation housing 58. The dirt cupassembly 60 is placed on the upper surface 518 of the support platform504 within the recess 24. The user lifts the lever 510 via the grip 512,which rotates the latch assembly 502 about the pivot bearing 506. Thisaction moves the cam surface 508 relative to the lower surface 516 ofthe support platform 504. The extended length of the cam surface 508moves the support platform 504 upwardly (shown in solid lines) and, withit, the dirt cup assembly 60, until the upper edge 154 of the dirt cuphousing 150 sealingly engages with the lip 150 on the cyclone separationhousing 58. An over-center design is implemented with the pivot bearing506 relative to the cam surface 508 so that the latch assembly 502remains in the upward or latched position.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 91, an alternate dirt cup assembly latchingmechanism comprises a biasing member 520 in place of the latch assembly502 previously described. In this embodiment, the biasing member 520 ispositioned between the recess 24 and the lower surface 516 of thesupport platform 504. In operation, the dirt cup assembly 60 is placedon the upper surface 518 of the support platform 504 and the user pushesdown on the dirt cup housing 160, compressing the biasing member 520until the upper surface of the dirt cup housing 160 clears the lip 150in the cyclone module 26. Once the upper edge 154 of the dirt cuphousing 160 is positioned within the lip 150, the user releases the dirtcup housing 160, the biasing member 520 expands vertically, and the dirtcup housing 160 seals at the lip 150.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection withcertain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that thisis by way of illustration and not of limitation. It is anticipated thatthe cyclone separators described herein can be utilized for both dry andwet separation. Furthermore, the features described can be applied toany cyclone separation device utilizing a single cyclone, or two or morecyclones arranged in any combination of series or parallel airflows. Inaddition, whereas the invention has been described with respect to anupright vacuum cleaner, the invention can also be used with other formsof vacuum cleaners, such as canister or central vacuum cleaners.Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the forgoingdisclosure and drawings without departing from the spirit of theinvention which is defined in the appended claims.

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaning head assembly having asuction nozzle adapted to be moved along a surface to be cleaned; a haircollection assembly having a hair collection element adapted to collecthair from the surface to be cleaned, wherein the hair collectionassembly is mounted to the cleaning head for movement of the haircollection element between a first position in which the hair collectionelement is in contact with the surface to be cleaned, and a secondposition, in which the hair collection element is spaced from thesurface to be cleaned; and a latch assembly mounted to the cleaning headand the hair collection assembly to selectively retain the haircollection assembly in contact with the surface to be cleaned.
 2. Thevacuum cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the latch assembly comprisesa latch portion as a part of one of the cleaning head assembly and thehair collection assembly and a catch portion as a part of the other ofthe cleaning head assembly and the hair collection assembly.
 3. Thevacuum cleaner according to claim 2 wherein the latch portion is a partof the cleaning head assembly and the catch portion is part of the haircollection assembly.
 4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3 whereinthe catch portion is made of a resilient material.
 5. The vacuum cleaneraccording to claim 4 wherein the latch portion includes a disengagingmember that is adapted to selectively deform the catch portion torelease the latch assembly when the disengaging member is actuated by auser.
 6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2 and further comprisinga spring biasing member that biases the hair collection assembly to thesecond position to move the hair collection assembly from the firstposition to the second position when the catch portion is released fromthe latch portion.
 7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 andfurther comprising a spring biasing member that biases the haircollection assembly to the second position to move the hair collectionassembly from the first position to the second position when the latchassembly is released.
 8. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaning headassembly having a suction nozzle; a suction source to create a flow ofworking air; a cyclone module assembly in fluid communication with thesuction nozzle and the suction source, and comprising: a cycloneseparation chamber for separating dust and debris from air, the cycloneseparation chamber having an inlet opening in fluid communication withthe suction nozzle through the working air path, an outlet opening fordischarging cleaned air and a particle discharge outlet for dischargingdust and debris separated from air; a dirt cup in fluid communicationwith the particle discharge outlet for collecting dust and debris thatis separated from the air in the cyclone separation chamber; and anexhaust grill in the cyclone separation chamber to filter out largerdebris, the exhaust grill comprising a plurality of apertures whereby aleading edge of the aperture forms an acute angle relative to the flowof working air.
 9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8 wherein theacute angle is between 10 degrees and 60 degrees.
 10. A vacuum cleanercomprising: a cleaning head assembly having a suction nozzle; a housingcoupled to the cleaning head assembly; a suction source mounted in thehousing for creating a flow of working air; a cyclone module assemblymounted in the housing in fluid communication with the suction nozzleand the suction source, and comprising: a cyclone separation chamber forseparating dust and debris from air, the cyclone separation chamberhaving an inlet opening in fluid communication with the suction nozzlethrough the working air path, an outlet opening for discharging cleanedair and a particle discharge outlet for discharging dust and debrisseparated from air; and a dirt cup removably mounted to the cycloneseparation chamber and in fluid communication with the particledischarge outlet for collecting dust and debris that is separated fromthe air in the cyclone separation chamber; and a dirt cup latch betweenthe housing and the dirt cup to selectively bias the dirt cup intosealing engagement with the cyclone separation chamber.
 11. The vacuumcleaner of claim 10 wherein the dirt cup latch comprises a grip and acam whereby the dirt cup is biased into sealing engagement with thecyclone separation chamber when the grip is placed in an upwardlyvertical position and the dirt cup is disengaged from sealing engagementfor removal from the cyclone separation chamber when the grip is placedin a downwardly vertical position.
 12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10wherein the dirt cup latch comprises a resilient biasing member.
 13. Thevacuum cleaner according to claim 9 wherein the biasing member is acompression coil spring.